Columns

Hypoparathyroidism makes me rethink accessibility. Sometimes accessibility means having a livestream option for an event when travel is impossible. Sometimes it means having a temperature-controlled climate, because sweating can lower my calcium level. And sometimes it means having a seat at a standing-room-only show. With my hypopara, standing for…

“May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future.” — Jimi Hendrix I celebrated my birthday last week with minimal fanfare yet much gratitude to have turned 52. I missed celebrations this year because my hypoparathyroidism, or hypopara, doesn’t respect plans and shows up when I…

Having two writing jobs is my literal dream. If only 12-year-old Heather — who used to write stories in the margins of her textbooks — could see me now! Writing jobs, by nature, do come with the dreaded D-word: deadline. I thrive off of external deadlines, but my emotional joy…

I am Bari Gordon Vapnek, and I’m thrilled to share my brave journey with hypoparathyroidism here in this new column. Living in Florida, I’m a 51-year-old mother of two: a 25-year-old daughter, Drew, who’s a chiropractor in Atlanta, and a 23-year-old son, Harrison, who’s a sports director for an…

I’m lucky enough to have a group of friends who read my column every week and send me their favorite lines. In my column about using a routine to get through bad days, I wrote that taking my hypoparathyroidism medication on time and as prescribed is an act…

After a long stretch of cold and gray, the sun popped out this week, bringing with it warmer temperatures. I was thrilled for a reprieve from the body-aching winter, ready to get outside. Thankfully, my motorized rollator/transport chair from Rollz had just arrived, and it was the perfect chance to…

I’ve been publishing books and blogging about my disease for over a decade, yet nothing has taught me more about being vulnerable than writing this column. I’m of the age to remember LiveJournal and have seen my share of nasty Reddit comment sections. Being public about anything personal — especially…

With a chronic illness like hypoparathyroidism, it’s easy to lose myself on bad days. When intense pain and anxiety steal my sleep, it’ll launch a chain reaction. If I don’t sleep well, I’ll become more anxious, which causes me to hyperventilate. That, in turn, lowers my blood calcium…

Happy Rare Disease Day! I’m curled up under my blankets, willing my body to recuperate after traveling for a family emergency, and reflecting on how much heavier this day feels to me this year. Since its creation in 2008, Rare Disease Day, on the last day of February, has…

When I was in seventh grade, I held up a poster board with big, bold letters and proclaimed that my favorite cassette tape was “Jagged Little Pill” by “Atlantis Morrisonite.” I learned two important lessons that day. First, never trust the built-in spell-check. Second, the meaning of a word can…